Mission Trip to South Africa!

 

Some of you may remember that I had the amazing opportunity to go to South Africa during the summer of 2006.  I am excited to share with you that I have been given the opportunity to return this summer with the Bible Church of Little Rock Student Ministries!

While in South Africa this summer, we will be helping care for children orphaned due to the AIDS virus at the Muphamuzi Baby Home, doing construction on house where they live, and partnering with the local church in their current ministries!  Each of our 15 team members has been asked to raise $3,000.  We trust that the Lord will provide enough money if He wants us to go.  If you would like to be part of our support team, here’s how! 

How to support us through prayer:

-       Softening of hearts to hear and accept the gospel

-       Building up of the local church in South Africa

-       Encouragement of local missionaries who serve there

-       That we would reflect Christ and point others to Him

-       Physical health, safety, unity, and servant’s hearts for our team

-       Provision of adequate financial support

How to support us financially: Donations are tax-deductible, and checks may be made out to “BCLR” with “South Africa/Sarah Ray” in the memo.  I would be happy to collect donations of any amount, or you may mail your check to BCLR @ 19111 Cantrell Road, LR, AR 72223.   

**Online Option:  If it’s more convenient for you to donate online, you can send money through PayPal. It's really easy and takes less than 2 minutes!  Just:

1. log in and select the blue "Send Money" tab or click here
2. follow the steps, and when prompted choose to send funds to: scrockern-paypal@yahoo.com 
3. if you would like to claim a tax-deduction on PayPal donations, please email your name/address/amount to this address also!

Thank you SO much for taking the time to consider supporting my team as we serve the Lord in South Africa!

Bake-and-Shake Cake Donuts

Was hunting for a healthier version of the greasy-but-good donut this morning.  Hunted around Google and Pinterest for a while, and finally decided to make my own recipe since I couldn't find exactly what I wanted.  I found most of my inspiration here, but I wanted to make a few changes both for texture and nutrition.  Adventures in baking are always risky, because you never know if your adaptation will turn into something edible or a tasty treat for the dog.

Happy to say that I was so pleased with how these donuts turned out, I thought them blog-worthy.  These are definitely the best homemade donuts I've ever had, and I'd chose them over a donut shop cake donut any day.  The texture somewhat resembles a fluffy cupcake but the flavor is very similar to what you'd get at your favorite local donut shop, except a lot fresher and with better-for-you ingredients.
While I don't know that you could ever call any donut "healthy," these are certainly health-ier than most, but they don't taste "healthy," if you know what I mean.  If someone served me these for breakfast, I'd probably feel guilty for having a second one because I'd assume something this good couldn't be good for me.
But between the wheat flour, egg-beaters, non-fat buttermilk, sugar-free syrup, and coconut oil, they're fairly nutritious.  Decent amount of protein and healthy fats.  You could made them completely sugar-free if you skip the coating (but shaking that bag around is half the fun and great for little helping hands)!  Here's how I home-maid them:

Donuts:

·      ½ cup whole wheat flour

·      ½ cup all-purpose flour

·      3 tsp baking powder

·      ¼ tsp nutmeg (this is what gives them that authentic "donut" flavor, so don't skip it or you'll have more of a donut-shaped cupcake than a cake donut!)

·      ¼ cup Egg-Beaters

·      ½ cup + 2 Tbs buttermilk (I used non-fat)

·      ¼ cup sugar-free syrup

·      1 tsp vanilla

·      4 Tbs coconut oil, melted

Coating:

·    1  ½ cup powdered sugar

·    1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray donut pan with a non-stick spray (I used Baker’s Joy), and set aside.

Combine donut dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.  Make a well in the center, and add donut wet ingredients.  Wisk together with a fork until just combined. (Batter is still a bit lumpy at this point, but fear not...they're still going to be A-MAZING!)  

Add dough to donut pan.  Here's a simple method that I used: Scoop dough into a quart-size ziplock bag, and sqeeze all the air out.  Seal the bag and clip a small hole in one corner to pipe dough into donut pan. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this step!)

Fill donut pan molds about 2/3 full. (This recipe filled my 6-donut pan, and I had some left-over dough that I poured into a ramekin and baked for 18 minutes until set.)

Bake for 12 minutes or until set.  While donuts are baking, prepare coating by sifting ingredients into a gallon-sized ziplock bag and set aside.  When donuts are set, immediately turn them out onto a cooling rack. 

While donuts are still warm, add 2-3 donuts at a time to shaking bag, and toss to coat.  Remove from bag back to cooling rack.  Enjoy the same day, or you can freeze them up to a month (if you have any leftovers)!  

I haven't tried to freeze a coated donut before, but I assume the coating would get soggy as it defrosts.  But then again, it might become like a glaze....might have to experiment with that (if I can hold on to some of the leftovers long enough)!  Hope you enjoy these Bake-and-Shake Donuts as much as I did!

Fast and Fresh Corn-on-the-Cob

I love fresh corn on the cob...the kind you get at the farmer's roadside stands or local produce shops. While the bags of frozen corn on the cob at the supermarket will do in a pinch, they just can't hold a candle to the fresh, unshucked ears.  It's a summertime staple around here.

The only thing I don't like about corn on the cob is that it's a bit time consuming to prepare.  My mom used the shuck and boil method, but I'm not quite as patient as her.  Grilling is a quicker option, but still takes some prep time to remove the silks so that they don't catch on fire.

So I was still in search of a simple way to cook my fresh corn that didn't take time away from prepping the rest of my dinner.  And I found it.  Quick, easy, and oh so good.  Here's how:

Preheat your oven to 350'F.  Lay your unshucked ears on an ungreased baking sheet.  (No need to prep them in any way!)  Bake them on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes.

(Monitor them closely so that none of the silks are tempted to flame up.  Mine had no problem, and made some of the most delicious, crunchy corn I've ever had.)

And you can leave them in the husks until your ready to plate them up.  They'll stay hot for close to an hour in there.  When you're ready to eat, use a sharp knife to cut the "stem" end off of the corn.  The husks and the silks will then peel off easily.  Coat the corn in butter, salt, and pepper, and start gnawing away...typewriter style!

Black-and-blue Raspberry Jam

Went berry picking with my Nana this weekend.  Last year we picked peaches, and I still haven't gone through all my jars of peach butter and peach jam.  This year, I wanted a few freezer bags of blueberries for muffins, smoothies, and such.

I'd intended to pick enough raspberries and blackberries to make individual jams, but I succumbed to the sweltering heat before I could get enough. Yet, I still had too many to eat before they went bad.  Some of the blackberries went to PW's black berry cobbler (see pic below), which was absolutely divine!

So what to do with the remaining berries? I started skimming a few cookbooks and ran across a variation of this recipe, tweaking it to my preferences.  Here's how I made my Black-and-blue Raspberry Jam (sorry I forgot the ingredients picture, I get really excited about canning!):

- 3 cups blueberries
- 2 cups blackberries
- 3 cups raspberries
*the exact amounts of each berry don't matter, just make sure you have a total of 8 cups of whatever berries you use
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. water
- 1 50g-box of fruit pectin
- 5 1/2 cups sugar

Start by boiling your water in your canner pot (mine took about an hour because of how much water the canner holds).  While its coming to a boil, run your jars through dishwasher cycle to sterilize them.  (The recipe mades 3-4 quarts of jam so choose your jar sizes accordingly.) Put another small pot of water on the stove to sterilize your rings and new lids.  Pick through and rinse your berries; pat them dry.

When your canner starts to boil, put your berries, lemon juice, water, and pectin into another large pot.  Give it a gentle stir then bring it to a rapid boil over high heat.  Stir it often.

When the mixture reaches a hard boil (continues to boil even when stirred), add in the sugar.  Stir it constantly.  When the mixture reaches a boil again, cook it for 1 minute.

Begin ladling your mixture into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Keep everything sterile and use good canning technique (if this is new to you, check out the insert in your pectin box or just do a google search).  Put the lids and rings on securely and place all the jars into the boiling water bath.  Submerge for 10 minutes.

Pull the jars out carefully, and set them somewhere to cool.  In a few minutes, you'll hear that beautiful "POP!" that means your jars are sealing.  To protect the seal, try no to move the jars for about 24 hours. Check the seals and place anything not sealed after a few hours into the fridge.  Store the sealed jars for a year or so...if you can keep from eating it that long...it's really yummy!  If you have leftover blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, I highly recommend this black-and-blue raspberry jam!  Great on toast, biscuits, or a good ole' PB&J.

Black Bean Enchiladas

This dish is deserving of a recipe card.  It's already got a reservation in my "Make This Again" file.  Simple, easy to adapt to your family's tastes, can be made in the oven or the crock pot, and so yummy!

Here's how to home-make it:  (Do it soon!)

- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup diced bell pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
- 2 cups salsa (divided)
- 12 corn tortillas

In a large bowl, combine beans, corn, onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt, cilantro, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir to combine.  (At this point, you can store this mixture in the fridge for several days before making the enchiladas).

For crock pot: Lightly coat inside of crock pot with cooking spray. Cover the bottom of your crock pot with a thin layer of salsa.  Fill each tortilla with several spoonfuls of the bean mixture.  Fold up and arrange in crock pot with seam-side down.  If you need to layer them, spread some more salsa in between layers of tortillas. Cook on high for 2-4 hours.  When only 30 minutes remain, sprinkle remaining cheese on top and place lid back on crock pot.

For oven: For easy cleanup, line a 13x9 baking dish with foil, and lightly coat with cooking spray.  Cover the bottom of your dish with a thin layer of salsa.  Fill each tortilla with several spoonfuls of the bean mixture.  Fold up and arrange in dish with seam-side down.  Cover dish with foil, and bake at 400'F for 20 minutes.  Then, remove foil, and sprinkle on remaining cheese.  Bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Serve enchiladas with homemade ranch (see previous post!), avocado, sour cream, greek yogurt, or your choice of sides.  Make it your own!  Add a cup of chopped chicken, use pepper jack instead of cheddar, leave out the cilantro if it's not your taste, or whatever.  That's the beauty of home-making it!

No-rinse Floor Cleaner

Another addition to my homemade spray-cleaning arsenal is no-rinse floor cleaner, and it's definitely one of my favorites.  I'd been using a Clorox ReadyMop, which I was pleased with.  I like the idea of getting a clean mopping pad each time instead of letting it sit in between uses (ask me about my fear of sponges sometime...although I might throw up in my mouth a little).

But you can use this no-rinse floor spray with any mop.  Refill your ReadyMop/Swiffer bottle with it, make a large quantity of it in a bucket or the sink to use with a traditional mop, or put it in a spray bottle to squirt on the floor with a reusable (washable) microfiber mop head.  (All of these options are available at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)  One advantage of the spray bottle option is that it can be used just as easily for a spot-clean as it can to spray down the whole kitchen floor.

And it's so much less expensive than what I was buying to the tune of almost $4/bottle.  The home-made version ends up being just pennies a bottle...almost nothing for me since I always keep the ingredients on hand.  And that's another plus, you can always whip up a quick batch when you need some.  In fact,  that's how this came to be as I emptied my store-bought bottle on a kitchen full of muddy paw prints.

Want to try it for yourself?  Here's how to home-make it:

- 1 Tbs white vinegar
- 3 drops essential oil (any scent, I used tee tree oil)
- 32 oz hot tap water in a spray bottle
(You can also fill up your sink with hot water, add 1/3 cup vinegar and 8-10 drops essential oil.)

Then just spritz it on the floor as you go.  It dries relatively quickly, so I just squirted down one strip of tile at time.  If you come across a really dirty spot, you can always give it an extra squirt and let it sit while you do the next strip of floor.  Everything on my floor came off using this with my washable microfiber cloth mop.

You can smell the vinegar when you first spray it out, but that scent dissipates as soon as it dries leaving behind only the light essential oil scent.

And that's it!  No rinsing, no residue, no dirt...well, for a few minutes anyway!

Spread 'Em! Chicken

As promised, here's the recipe for that yummy spread I talked about in my last post!  I've made this a few times now, and it never disappoints.  It's great because it's made with ingredients I almost always have on hand, takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and even tastes great as leftovers.

I've played around with several lower calorie options, finding that the higher calorie versions browned better in the oven (isn't that always the case?).  But the lower calorie ones still tasted amazing even though they didn't look quite as pretty.

*Here's a little disclaimer on all of my cooking recipes...I rarely measure anything, unless doing some precise baking.  "Eyeballing" it is usually the way I go.  So these measurements aren't meant to be exact...in fact, they're probably not exactly what I used!  Feel free to play around with the amounts and ingredients.  Oh, don't look so worried...it'll be fun!

Here's how to home-make the spread for your chicken:

- 1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayo (regular or reduced fat)
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (grate your own or the kind from the shaker is fine)
- 2 tsp dried parsely
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt and black pepper to taste

Combine everything in a small bowl, and stir until combined.  (These amounts made enough for me to spread over 2 very large chicken breasts, so make more if you're planning to serve a big group.)  Yep, that's it!  You can even make the spread a few days in advance and store it in the fridge.

When you're ready to cook your chicken, preheat your oven to 375'F.  Grab your frozen or thawed chicken breasts, and slather that spread all over the top.  Lay it on thick, at least a half-inch or so.  You'll be glad you did.

Now, pop the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easier clean-up later), and cook them until all the pieces are at least 165'F by meat thermometer and the topping is bubbling and brown.  Mine took about 45 minutes with frozen chicken.  (If you know chicken, that would usually be a long time, but don't worry too much about overcooking your birds...the spread keeps them nice and juicy!)

Here's the finished product of the lower-calorie version.  Yes, it's a bit splotchier than it's caloric counterpart, but still mmm-mmm good!  Besides, brown food is good food, right?

Poultry Pounding Points

Have you ever noticed that you can buy a huge package of chicken breasts for way cheaper than a small package?  And those big packs go on sale a lot.  The problem come in that unless you have enough people to eat 5+ lbs. of poultry in one sitting, you may end up wasting more than you save.

Most of the time, I'm only cooking 2-3 chicken breasts at a time but hate to spend more money for less chicken by buying the small pack.  When I got my freezer, everything in my chicken world changed!  Now, when chicken breasts go on sale, I can stock up without worrying about waste.

Not to mention it's crazy convenient to cook with.  Since I pound it out flat before freezing individual portions, I can use as few or as many as I want.  I can put a few pieces in the fridge the night before to thaw, put them into the crockpot, or go directly from freezer to oven.  Gone are the days of wanting to make something homemade for dinner only to be without any meat (save some cans of tuna).

Here's 10 points on how to home-make your pounded poultry packets:

1) Buy: - I choose boneless, skinless breasts...best quality for lowest price.  (In my neck of the woods, I've found Sam's to be the best option for this.  You can get a HUGE package of chicken for about $10.)

2) Trim: Take the time before you freeze it to trim any extra fat or gross stuff off of your chicken.  I have to say this is probably my least favorite part of the process, but I'm always glad I did it after its over.  A pair of kitchen shears is super handy for this job, and much less messy than a knife.


3) Season: If you want to season your chicken before freezing, either with a little kosher salt or something more, this is the time.  This is completely optional, and I only do it sometimes.

*Tip: if you're going to thaw your chicken before cooking it, you'll have another chance to season it once it's thawed.  If you're going directly from freezer to oven, not much sticks to frozen chicken breasts.  You might get some seasoning on the outside layer, but the inside will be kind of bland.

4) Package: Place your chicken breasts inside resealable plastic freezer bags.  I usually put 1-3 pieces per quart-size freezer bag, but you can do whatever works best in your house.  Seal it up, leaving about an inch unzipped at one corner.

5) Pound: Now this is the fun part!  Grab a rolling pin, heavy skillet, or even an unopened can of beans and pound that poultry!  Flattening it out to about 1/2 inch or so will help it thaw/cook more quickly and evenly and will keep it from taking up extra room in your freezer.

6) Seal: Squeeze any extra air out of the bag, and finish zipping it up.

7) Label: Write what it is, any seasoning you added, and the date you froze it on the bag so you'll know what you're getting later.


8) Stack: Since you've pounded the pieces out flat, just stack them up one on top of the other.


9) Freeze: Pop the stack in your freezer.

10) Cook: Whenever you're ready to use them, just let them thaw in the freezer overnight or put them directly into the oven while frozen.  Cook them until they're 165'F inside.  Serve them with some cut up potatoes and herbs, plain to chop up over some rice or pasta, or coat them with some of the spread I'll share in my next post (It's sooo delicious!).

Simple and frugal raised beds

We always had a garden growing up.  When I was old enough, my mom gave me a little corner of the garden to take care of.  Watching those tiny seeds I planted turn into cucumbers was amazing!  And I think I may have been convinced to eat some things I had previously turned my nose up at.

Even now, gardening is still one of my favorite things about spring.  While growing your own produce is not difficult, it does require time and devotion.  But if you stick with it, you'll be rewarded with the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor.

Most of my yard is vary shaded, thanks to the 10+ enormous oak trees. (If anyone has a use for thousands and thousands of acorns, let me know, I've got you covered.)  There are few spots that get full sun for growing veggies, and most of them are not too big.  Last year, too much shade in combination with the searing summer heat left my garden somewhat lackluster.

So this year, I had the idea to plant some things in cement blocks in sunny spot in my yard.  Since these blocks are small and mobile, it seems to be a great solution.  Time will tell!

I did a little bit of research, gathered my supplies, and got my garden on yesterday afternoon.  The great thing about a cement block garden is that you can do it anywhere - no matter what type of soil or how little room you have.  Think of it as a simple and frugal miniature raised bed.

Here's how I home-made my own raised beds for sugar snap peas:

Preparing: Get yourself some cement blocks; select as few or as many as you need.  They're pretty cheap. Find them at Lowe's or other places with home/garden supplies.  Think about where your seeds will grow best, and muscle your blocks into place. Since I'm planting peas, I picked a sunny spot where they could trellis up the fence.

Soiling: Place a clean coffee filter in the bottom of each side of the block: To keep weeds from springing up underneath and and to prevent water from draining out too quickly.  Also cheap.  Fill up each hole with a potting soil/dirt/fertilizer of your choice.

Planting: I poked 2 holes with my thumb in each of the squares of the cement block.  (Spacing and planting depth depend on what you're going to grow - check your seed pack instruction.)  Drop a few seeds in each hole (usually 2-4).  Just cover them up with dirt,  give them a good water, and you're done!

Maintaining: sunshine, water, and waiting.  Can't wait to see (and eat!) what grows!

I'm even considering creating a square with some of the blocks, laying down a tarp and filling it up with soil for a larger raised bed.  Then, I can plant more in the cement blocks too.  I was a little worried that my yard might look a bit, um, "red-neck" with all of the blocks.  But now that I see it, it looks great - very clean and organized.  Just the way I like it!

Revive Your Rug

Are your rugs or carpet in need of revival?  With a 90-pound hairy beast running all over, mine were definitely in need of a face-lift.  I used to buy a special carpet powder for pets, but it was $3 a box and I went through it too quickly.  It was great at loosening fallen pet hair and removing the lingering doggy scent.

So, I looked for a way to make my own and found one that I couldn't be happier with.  Here's how to home-make it:

- baking soda (enough to fill your chosen container)
- 6-8 drops essential oil of your choice (I used lavender)

Pour the baking soda into you container, leaving enough room at the top to give it a good shake.  Drop in your essential oil and shake it up until it's well distributed.  Sprinkle liberally over the carpet.  Let it sit for at least 20 minutes while you do something else. (This give the baking soda time to absorb all the unwanted odors.)  I've let mine sit overnight before, and it did fine, but you can test on an inconspicuous area of your rug/carpet if you want.   Use it every time you vacuum or just whenever your rugs need an extra boost of freshness.

It's easiest if you put the carpet powder in a container that has a sprinkle lid (an clean parmesan cheese shaker works great).  But in true home-made style, I made my own (okay, honestly, it was because I didn't have an empty container).

If you are fresh out of parmesan shakers too, here's how to make your own "sprinkler":

- Put the lid and ring on an empty mason jar.
- Use your trusty hammer and a nail to pound as many holes into the lid as you want (the more holes, the more powder comes out with each shake).
- Label it and fill it up with the carpet powder.
- If you're going to store it, putting an old scrap of cloth or even some plastic wrap between the lid and the ring will help keep the essential oils from evaporating.

Happy carpet cleaning!